Lou Brock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lou Brock
Brock in 2008
Left fielder
Born: (1939-06-18)June 18, 1939 El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S.
Died: September 6, 2020(2020-09-06) (aged 81) St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
September 10, 1961, for the Chicago Cubs
Last appearance
September 30, 1979, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.293
Hits	3,023
Home runs	149
Runs batted in	900
Stolen bases	938
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1961–1964) St. Louis Cardinals (1964–1979)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979) 2× World Series champion (1964, 1967) Roberto Clemente Award (1975) 8× NL stolen base leader (1966–1969, 1971–1974) St. Louis Cardinals No. 20 retired St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1985
Vote	79.75% (first ballot)
Medals Men's baseball Representing USA Pan American Games Bronze 1959 Chicago Team

Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939 – September 6, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Brock played for 19 years, mostly as a left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. He started his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1961.

Lou Brock was a six-time All-Star. He is famous for his amazing base stealing skills. He once held the MLB records for most stolen bases in a single season and in a career. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases for eight seasons. Brock was also a member of the 3,000-hit club. He was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Early Life and Baseball Dreams

Lou Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. His family were sharecroppers, meaning they farmed land owned by someone else. When he was two, his family moved to Collinston, Louisiana. Even though his family didn't have much money, he said he never felt poor.

Brock grew up loving the Brooklyn Dodgers. This team had famous players like Jackie Robinson. He didn't play organized baseball until he was in 11th grade. But he learned a lot by listening to baseball games on the radio. He especially listened to how major league hitters stood.

After high school, he went to Southern University in Baton Rouge. He got help with his studies to attend. When his grades dropped, he joined the school's baseball team. This helped him get an athletic scholarship.

Baseball Career Highlights

College and First Steps

In his first year of college baseball, Brock didn't hit very well. But he got much better in his second year, hitting for a .500 average. His college team, Southern University, won a national baseball championship. Brock was even chosen to play for the United States team in the 1959 Pan American Games.

After college, Brock wanted to play professional baseball. He tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals first. But the scout who was supposed to meet him wasn't there. So, he tried out for the Chicago Cubs instead. The Cubs signed him in 1960. He played for the St. Cloud Rox in the minor leagues. There, he won the batting championship in 1961.

Time with the Chicago Cubs

Brock made his major league debut with the Cubs on September 10, 1961. He was 22 years old. In his first full season in 1962, he hit a home run into the center-field bleachers at the old Polo Grounds in New York City. This was a rare feat, as only a few players had done it before.

Brock was very fast and had great instincts for base running. But he didn't hit as well as the Cubs hoped. He only hit for a .260 average in his first two seasons. In 1964, the Cubs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals. This trade involved Brock and two other players going to St. Louis. In return, the Cubs got pitcher Ernie Broglio and two other players. Many people thought the Cubs got the better deal at the time.

Becoming a Star with the St. Louis Cardinals

Brock in 1964

After joining the Cardinals, Lou Brock's career changed completely. He started playing left field. For the rest of the 1964 season, he hit .348 and stole 33 bases. When Brock joined, the Cardinals were in eighth place. But he helped them win the National League pennant on the very last day of the season!

Four months after the trade, the Cardinals won the 1964 World Series. They beat the strong New York Yankees in seven games. Brock's great play helped the Cardinals win the championship. People now remember the "Brock for Broglio" trade as one of the most one-sided deals in baseball history. Broglio only won seven more games for the Cubs before retiring.

In 1966, Brock became the National League's stolen base champion. He stole 74 bases, ending Maury Wills' six-year streak. Brock would lead the NL in stolen bases eight times between 1966 and 1974. His manager, Johnny Keane, even asked him to focus more on stealing bases than hitting home runs.

World Series Heroics

Brock with the Cardinals in spring training in 2005

Brock started the 1967 season by hitting five home runs in the first four games. This was a record at the time. He was chosen as the starting left fielder for the National League in the 1967 All-Star Game. He finished the season with 206 hits and a .299 batting average. He also led the league in stolen bases and runs scored. The Cardinals won the National League pennant again.

In the 1967 World Series, Brock was amazing. He hit for a .414 average and scored 8 runs. He also set a World Series record with seven stolen bases. The Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games to win the championship.

The Cardinals won the National League pennant for a second year in a row in 1968. Brock again led the league in stolen bases. He also led in doubles and triples. In the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Brock stole three bases in one game. He also had a double, triple, home run, and four runs batted in in another game. This helped the Cardinals take a big lead in the series.

However, the Tigers came back to win the series. In one game, Brock tried to score standing up on a single. He was thrown out at home plate. In the final game, he was picked off base, ending a possible rally. Even so, Brock stole seven bases again in that series. He was also the best hitter, with a .464 batting average.

Setting Stolen Base Records

Brock with the Cardinals c. 1976

From 1969 onwards, Brock had six straight seasons with 190 or more hits. In 1974, he broke Maury Wills' single-season stolen base record of 104. He ended the season with a new major league record of 118 stolen bases. Brock was also runner-up for the National League Most Valuable Player Award that year.

On August 29, 1977, Brock broke Ty Cobb's career record of 892 stolen bases. He became the all-time major league stolen base leader. Cobb's record had stood for a very long time. Many thought it could never be broken. Brock held this record until 1991, when Rickey Henderson broke it. Henderson went on to steal 1,406 bases in his career.

Brock was known for his unique base-stealing style. He used a "rolling start" instead of a long lead. He also studied game films of opposing pitchers. He would watch their windups and pickoff moves. This helped him find weaknesses to use to his advantage.

Later Years and Retirement

In 1978, Brock had a tough start to the season and lost his starting job. But he worked hard in spring training in 1979. He hit for a .345 average and earned his starting spot back. He was even named Player of the Month in May 1979, hitting .433.

On August 13, 1979, Brock made history again. He became the 14th MLB player to get 3,000 hits in his career. He retired at the end of the 1979 season. He was 40 years old and still hit for a .304 average in his final year. He was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year. This was special because it was his final season.

Career Statistics

In his 19-year career, Lou Brock played in 2,616 games. He had 3,023 hits in 10,332 at bats. His career batting average was .293. He also had 486 doubles, 141 triples, 149 home runs, and 900 RBI. He scored 1,610 runs and stole 938 stolen bases.

Brock was a six-time All-Star. He hit over .300 eight times in his career. He led the National League in stolen bases a record eight times. He also had a record 12 seasons in a row with 50 or more stolen bases. Lou Brock is still the National League's all-time leader in career stolen bases.

His .391 batting average in the World Series is the highest for anyone who played more than 20 series games. His 14 stolen bases in World Series play are also a record.

Awards, Honors, and Life After Baseball

Lou Brock's number 20 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979.

Lou Brock received many awards during and after his playing career. In 1968, he won the Babe Ruth Award for being the best player in the 1967 World Series. He also won The Sporting News Player of the Year Award in 1974. In 1975, he received the Roberto Clemente Award. This award is given to players who show great character on and off the field.

In 1977, he won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. This award honors players who show great ability and character, like Lou Gehrig. In 1978, the National League created the Lou Brock Award. This award is given to the league's annual stolen base leader. It was named after him while he was still playing!

On September 9, 1979, the St. Louis Cardinals retired Brock's jersey number 20. This means no other player on the Cardinals can wear that number. Only three other Cardinals players had received this honor before him.

Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. This was his first year of eligibility. He was also inducted into several other sports halls of fame. These include the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked among the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. In 2014, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

After retiring from baseball, Brock became a successful businessman. He owned a flower shop in St. Louis. He also worked briefly as a baseball announcer. Fans always cheered loudly for him when he appeared at Cardinals games. He even lent his name to a special rain hat called the "Brockabrella".

Brock also worked as a baserunning instructor for several MLB teams. He helped teams like the 1982 Cardinals and 1987 Minnesota Twins. These teams went on to win the World Series.

Personal Life

Lou Brock and his wife, Jackie, were both ordained ministers. They served at a church in St. Louis. Brock was also on the board of a company called YTB International. His speed was even mentioned in a song by the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest.

In 2006, he received the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Lou Brock was the father of Lou Brock Jr., who played football in the National Football League. He was also the granduncle of sports journalist Taylor Rooks.

Health and Death

In October 2015, Brock had his left leg amputated below the knee. This was due to an infection related to his diabetic condition.

In April 2017, Brock announced he had multiple myeloma. This is a type of blood cancer. However, in July 2017, he and his wife shared good news. Doctors told them that the cancerous cells were gone. Brock said the cancer had been getting smaller for some time.

Lou Brock passed away on September 6, 2020, at the age of 81.

See also

In Spanish: Lou Brock para niños